Blood Tears
by Russingon5eva
Summary: Seriously muse? Why do you torture Maedhros so? T for (duh) torture.


**All I'm going to say is that I feel really sorry for Maedhros right now and defiantly wouldn't want to be him. **

_'Welcome to my realm_

_We're both condemned to live'_

He waves his hand in a wordless order for them to take me away. Grabbing hands yank me and as they drag me out, I scream damnation upon him. Something flickers in the twisted Vala's eyes and he beckons them to bring me forward again. The same hands drag me to his throne once more, but this time they do not force me to kneel. The dark being descends from his throne, hand creeping up to remove one of the Silmarilli from his crown. Realization grips me and I struggle to no avail. The jewel touches my flesh and I can not stop myself; I cry out in pain. A smile touches the evil one's lips and he moves the Silmaril up and down my chest, drawing patterns of charred flesh. All at once, a light sparkles in his eyes and I force myself not to cross my legs. He gives a order that I do not understand and one of the twisted elves yanks my mouth open. Morgoth shoves the gem into my open mouth and forces it shut. Black spots dance across my vision and I moan through shut lips. Morgoth laughs long and hard, then removes the Silmaril from my mouth and runs it up and down my chest one last time before replacing it in his crown and waving his hand for the orcs to take me away. This time, I do not damn him, but in my head, I curse him long and hard until blackness overcomes me.

_'Welcome to where time stands still_

_No one leaves and no one ever will'_

When I awake, the first thing I feel is pain. Pain running up and down my body, but centered in my right shoulder. I try to move it into a more comfortable position and can not stop myself from screaming in pain. A cruel laugh echoes in my head and I force my eyes to focus. Morgoth stands before me; larger then I have ever seen him. The pain in my right shoulder does not go away and I have to force myself to not look for it's source while the dark Vala still stands before me. He laughs again and then is gone. I turn my eyes to my right shoulder and notice for the first time that I am hanging with only my right hand chained to the mountainside keeping me from falling to my death. Though by now, that would be a welcome fate. I allow my head to drop to my chest and for the first time in a long time, a tear rolls down my cheek, followed by another and another until I am sobbing.

_'The life in me is gone_

_And a cruel wind's blowing cold_

_And a cruel wind's blowing cold'_

I do not how long he has left me here. The charred flesh still aches so it can not have been long. Or could it have? The Silmarilli are hallowed; my deeds have condemned me as much as Morgoth's have condemned him. The silence is overpowering, but a normality, so I am shocked to hear horns blowing one day and to see banners; blue and silver; flowing in the breeze. 'Fingolfin,' I realize. But how? The boats...at that moment, I care not as I use the last of my strength to scream out his name, scream for him to find me, to hear me, to save me. But they can not hear me and if they can, they do not care and the sky is empty once again. Nothing has changed. And yet, everything has. No one is ever coming for me. I know it now beyond all doubt. Hopelessness overtakes me, but I refuse to cry. I am not weak. I will not break. Morgoth will not succeed. I am strong enough...I will not beg...

_'And blood tears I cry_

_You've searched and you've found_

_Cut off your old friend's hand'_

I can no longer tell when it is night or day. Morgoth has hidden the sky behind dark clouds of evil smoke. I can not even see the stars that once brought me peace. It is silent, too late for even Morgoth's dark creatures to be out. They must sleep as well. They must have been something human-like once. The noises of Angband are quieted and I am left to suffer alone. Out of the darkness, I hear a twisted voice call out my name. I force myself not to press my body against the cliff face and instead remain silent. The voice goes quiet and I allow myself to breath a sign of relief. Then, faintly - so faint I cannot be sure if I am not just imagining it entirely - I hear a song lifting up to the heavens. Fingon. I have no energy to call out to him and I listen in helplessness as his voice fades and then goes silent. Strength I know I did not still have overtakes me and I raise my voice, singing. 'Maedhros! I'm coming.' Something flickers in my chest, but I force it down. It is just another dream. He will surely fade away before he reaches me. As if to prove me wrong, an elf emerges from behind a rock and then stops short, staring up at me. 'Fingon...' he is really here, this is no dream; not this time. 'Maed-' He can not even finish my name and I watch a tear make it's way down his cheek. Then, as if geared by a sudden push, he leaps forward, searching for a way up to me. I close my eyes, praying that he will not answer that there is no way up though I know he will. And sure enough; a minute or two later, he calls up that he can not find a way up. 'Shoot me.' I do not know what voice said that, I know it was not mine, but I agree with it. Fingon is silent, though I can already see him shaking his head hopelessly. He will not do it willingly. 'Free me.' I can hear him drawing back the bowstring. I squeeze my eyes together tightly, praying for a swift end when the arrow hits. It never does, but I dare not open my eyes in fear of what has happened. All at once, a great wind whips my tired body and I cry out. Suddenly, Fingon is there, wrapping his arms around me. I cannot believe it, but I listen to him hitting the cuff with all his might. I know it will not break. Morgoth put it there and what Morgoth does not want to be remove won't be removed until the ending of time. I listen to him hack at the cuff, suddenly; silence. I crack open my eyes and watch him caress my right hand, pale and dead. I weakly lift my left hand to stop him. 'If you must, caress the one that can feel it. That one is dead and does not feel anything.' Something dark flickers in his eyes before he forces it back down again. But it is too late. I have seen it. 'Do it.' He looks at me in shock. I close my eyes and lean my head back on the cliff face. 'Whatever it is, it cannot be worse then what Morgoth has already done.' The burns scream their agreement and I bite my lip. With my eyes tightly closed, I do not see the sorrow that flickers in my cousin's eyes, then the determination. For a moment, everything is still. Then; excruciating pain. I can not help myself - I am weak - my head jerks back and I scream. Fingon is embracing me suddenly, whispering the word 'sorry' under his breath repeatedly. Then there is a loud rushing of wings. I crack my eyes open and watch in shock as Angband disappears behind me. Driven by a sudden burst of recklessness, I sit up and - with the last of my energy - scream my victory to the heavens until my throat aches. I damn Morgoth. He did not win. I am free. Fingon is pushing me down again, urging me to rest. And I do so, finally drifting off into a peaceful sleep, safe in my devoted cousin's arms...

**A/N: song lyrics indicates a passage of time that is not spoken of. Just FYI.**


End file.
